Monthly Archives: July 2018

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I am 18 and flying to Spain for a holiday this summer. Can I use a passport card when travelling to Spain, and how do I apply for one?

Answer (May 2018)

The Irish passport card is a credit-card sized Irish passport. You can use it for travel within the European Union, the European Economic Area (which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland. So, you will be able to use it when going to Spain this summer.

You must be aged 18 or over to apply for a passport card. You must also hold a valid Irish passport that is not due to expire in the next 3 months.

The personal details you provide when applying must be exactly the same as those on your passport book.

The passport card is valid for a maximum of 5 years or until your passport book expires, whichever period is shorter.

If you plan to use your passport card when travelling, you must use the passport card number when checking in online.

The passport card costs €35. If you are applying from outside Ireland, there is an additional delivery cost of €5.

You can apply for a passport card online on dfa.ie. When making the application you need:

Your current passport book

Your digital photograph (see the detailed guidelines on dfa.ie)

A valid email address

A debit card or credit card

When you submit your application online, you are issued with an 11-digit application number. You can track your application’s progress on the Department’s website using the application number.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance helps you with the cost of clothing and other expenses for children in school.

To qualify, you must be getting certain social welfare payments and (in general) your child/ren must be aged between 4 and 17 on or before 30 September 2018. If they are aged between 18 and 22, they must be in full-time second-level education.

Many people will get an automatic payment from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. If you qualify automatically, you will receive your payment in the week ending 13 July 2018.

If your flight is cancelled or delayed for any reason, you can check out your rights on flightrights.ie.

Once you know your rights, you can make a formal complaint to the airline by email or through the airline’s website. Details for the online complaints sections of most European airlines are listed on eccireland.ie (pdf).

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued an Extreme Fire Risk warning.

While the warning is in place, you should avoid lighting open fires or using barbecues around forests or open land. If you see a fire, do not attempt to intervene. Move to a safe location, upwind of the fire if possible. Then call 112 to report the fire to the emergency services and follow their instructions.

The warning is in effect from 6 July to 11 July 2018 and will then be reviewed.

Since Sunday 1 July 2018, drivers of electric vehicles (and some types of hybrid) can get reduced road tolls under the new Electric Vehicle Toll Incentive Scheme.

To avail of the scheme, you register your vehicle with one of the participating toll tag providers. At the end of each month, the toll tag provider will refund you the discount that your vehicle qualifies for under the scheme.